Fading Away
by Kirazi
Summary: **COMPLETE!!** Sarah has lost all she ever wanted, and falls into a depression that threatens her health. Can Jareth save her soul? R/R please!
1. Prolog

Chapter 1  
  
Dreams. They were the only solitude she could find anymore. If there was ever something she actually wanted to do, it was sleep, because sleep brought the possibility of dreams. Dreams of the labyrinth. Sarah didn't think of anything else; she hadn't since the night she was returned to her familiar house, her boring neighborhood, her dreary life, her boring world...  
She had been so relieved and happy to find the babe resting peacefully in his crib; she knew everything would be alright. Her labyrinthian friends stayed with her long into the night, having the best party that any of them could remember. Eventually, they were all drawn back to the magic of the Underground that forebade them to stay away for so long. After the last otherworldly guest had departed, Sarah glanced around her room, the place that had always been a sanctuary from Karen's nagging and Toby's crying, and saw how empty it was. Dolls and magical creatures stared at her from shelves, bookcovers, and posters, but they had not the power to stand up and converse with her as Hoggle, Didymus, and Ludo had. She sat down at her vanity and stared into the sad eyes of the girl who stared back at her. Once, she tried to call Hoggle a second time, but there was no reply. Her heart sunk as the realization hit her: her adventure was over, her friends were gone, and she was back on boring old Earth. Tears threatened to break until she couldn't even look at her own reflection. She had lost everything that she had every dreamed of having, had thrown it to the winds. The tears did come, but she didn't bother to wipe them away. She stumbled to her bed and collapsed on it, soaking her pillow with the salty teardrops until she succumbed to exhaustion and blissful sleep...  
It had only gotten worse from there. She lost interest in everything surrounding her; she cleared everything to do with magic and fantasy from her room, boxed her precious teddy bears and her piles of books, for it all reminded her of the labyrinth. Karen had to literally drag her out of bed in the mornings to go to school, and when Sarah did eventually stumble off to her classes, she was like a zombie, her eyes glazed and uncaring. What few friends she had at school couldn't understand why she wouldn't speak to them, but would only stare blankly at a wall. She eventually stopped going to school, and Karen, tired of pulling her out of bed, stopped forcing her. Her father was concerned, but received no answer. Karen said it was just a phase, it would pass; when weeks passed and there was little change, her father and Karen took her to a doctor. She was diagnosed with depression, given a prescription, and sent on her way. She stopped eating, and spent her time in her room, alone, sleeping. The color left her face, her eyes became dull. Her hair lost its healthy sheen, and she lost weight. A lot of it. Her father would plead daily with her to eat something; she was beginning to look like a skeleton. She didn't bother to change her clothes unless she was bathing, which she only did because it made her sleepy. If she was not sleeping, she was staring out of her window or into her mirror and crying. And so it was for weeks, even months. Sarah, the beautiful girl whose dreams and imagination had no limit, had lost her passion for life. 


	2. Blissful Sleep

Chapter 2  
  
Sitting in his throneroom, noisy goblin chatter all around, the King stared into a crystal intently, worry in his mix matched eyes. The crystal showed Sarah sleeping quietly in her room, a puddle of fresh tears on her pillow. He had watched her progress, or rather, regress, since the day she had left his realm. No, he thought with a sigh, since the day he'd lost her. Those thirteen fated hours had twisted the pure heart of the girl he loved and destroyed it. "Oh, my dear, sweet Sarah.. what has happened to you?" he whispered, barely audible.  
  
He slammed an aggrivated fist down hard onto the stone arm of his throne, barely feeling the impact. A few startled goblins looked up and stared at their king in fear, but were ignored. He wanted so desperately to help her, to comfort her, to bring her out of this foolish self destruction she was putting herself through, but he knew that she hated him. She had proved that on the thirteenth hour. He looked sadly over her sickly thin figure, and threw the crystal against the opposite wall, the shards falling down onto a few of his startled subjects. He could not bear to see her this way. He stood and quickly departed the noisy room, seeking a refuge of quiet to contemplate the situation.  
  
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Upon awaking, Sarah sat up and glanced at the clock; 6:30 pm. Three hours she was asleep; she assumed her family would be gone to dinner. Good, she thought. She wearily stood, as if it was a terrible pain to leave the bed-her dreaming place-and slowly walked from the room. She headed towards the bathroom, where she kept her sleeping pills hidden-for she knew her father would take them if he found them. She felt lightheaded as she went down the staircase; she got like this on a regular basis now, during the longer periods when her father or Karen couldn't convince her to eat. At one point, they'd had to actually force feed her. Her foot slipped on one step and she had to grab hold of the banister to keep from falling. She made it to the bathroom after 10 minutes of slow steps and holding her aching head; the rumble in her starving stomache had long since become a normal thing, easily ignored.Rummaging under the bathroom sink for her pill bottle, she cursed to find it missing. Her father must have found it, again. No matter; she had more where that came from. She went to Toby's room; her father never thought to look there. Retrieving the bottle from his closet, she returned to her room. She sat on the bed and popped one white pill in her mouth and swallowed. Studying the bottle for a moment, she narrowed her eyes and began to cry again as -his- face popped unannounced into her thoughts. Thoughts of him always made her cry the most; how could she have been so foolish? She loved him, more than life itself, but had been too damn proud to admit it. She held tipped the bottle and poured a handful of pills into her hand, proceeding to take each one of them. She fell back on her bed and dropped the bottle. Maybe now she could sleep again. Ahh, sleep....   
  
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Jareth had a feeling something was wrong, that is, more wrong than it already was, and summoned a new crystal as he sat in his private chambers. Immediately Sarah's sleeping form was there, though she was laying more like she had been tossed on the bed. He examined the image more closely, and caught a glimpse of the pill bottle laying on her floor, and the way she didn't seem to be breathing normally. His eyes darted back to Sarah, renewed with fear. He dropped the crystal and was gone in a second, already in his owl form and flown from the window, as fast as his wings could take him, to the Aboveground. He would Not let any more harm come to her.. whether or not she hated him. 


	3. A Desperate Attempt

Chapter 3  
  
It took only moments for Jareth to reach Sarah's home; he spared none of his powers to reach her swiftly. He found Sarah's bedroom window slightly open and flew through, changing in seconds from his owl form and rushed to where she lay on the bed. The rise and fall of her chest was barely noticable now; what little breathing she did was hardly worth the effort her body went through to do it. Jareth scooped her into his arms and held her; her face had lost all color, and she looked like a corpse. He voilently threw that word from his mind. He removed the glove from his hand and checked her pulse; he felt a meager, halfhearted beat or two, then nothing. Worry and fear were replaced by anger in his face, and he shook her still form violently. When she did not stur, he stood and stumpled away in a shocked stupor. He simply didn't know what to do. Tears brimmed in the powerful King's eyes, he covered his face with his hands to hide his ultimate sorrow from the girl's still form. "Sarah....I have truly lost you.."  
  
In the madness of his sorrow, amidst a swirling mass of confused thoughts, one thing stood out clearly in his mind: He would NOT let this happen. She would NOT be lost. He whirled to face her, his face smeared with tears and his eyes wild. A crystal materialized in his hand and was instantly thrown towards her; it came to rest softly on her chest, a magical glow emminating from it, and slowly grew, enveloping Sarah's body. Jareth muttered an incoherent spell in a language unrecognizable to human ears, and the crystal rose into the air, a ghostly image of Sarah within its depths. The orb shrunk to its normal size once again and returned to its master's hand. Jareth gazed silently into it, studying the soft blue light it emmitted. He nodded, as if nothing had happened at all and tucked the crystal into some pocket of his cape. He glanced at Sarah's body once more, and headed to the window. He turned back and whispered, "Do not fear, my love.. your soul is safe with me.." and, transforming to his owl form, leapt to flight and headed for the Underground. 


	4. A Message

When the King returned to his domain, he received many odd looks from some of his subjects, and a few goblins even made the mistake of asking why his behavior was so strange; those few received an 'if looks could kill' glare and a growled warning about being thrown into the Bog. Jareth had no time to deal with them, nor the mood.   
  
The spell he had cast captured Sarah's soul before it could escape from her body and be lost to the worlds beyond. The spell, however, was only temporary. If a vessel for her spirit could not be found within 13 hours, that spirit would be lost. Ironic, the King thought dully; I made her search for 13 hours for a way to save the life of the baby.. and now I must do the same.   
  
Jareth hastily made his way to the servants' quarters, non-goblin that is. They were no good for any jobs save to sing rather badly and "protect" the castle. Bursting through the door, he stood and waited for the attention of those present, which took an entire 5 seconds (the servants had learned to be quick when the King wanted something, so to save themselves from the Bog). Clearing his throat, the King addressed the servants, now kneeling and looking to him for orders.  
"I need a messanger sent to the neighboring kingdoms. The message is of the utmost import; should it not arrive in due time, there will be DIRE consequences. And I mean worse than the Bog."  
A shudder passed through the group of kneeling servants. Jareth pointed to several of them.   
"You will each go to a kingdom with a message I shall write. It MUST arrive there within three hours, at the very latest. Is that understood??"  
Each nodded quickly, eager to please the King yet frightened of his threat.  
"Then prepare yourselves for the journey. I will return shortly."  
Leaving the now busy messangers to prepare, Jareth went to his study to compose his messages.   
  
Jareth tied the final piece of parchment with a golden thread and sighed. He took the crystal from his pocket and stared at its glow for a moment. By the gods, I hope this works. He carefully put the crystal with its most precious contents back in his pocket, picked up the letters, and returned to the servants' quarters, where the messangers were waiting. He gave them each a letter and instructions, reminding them again of their time limit and the consequences should they fail, and sent them on their way. He retreated to his bedchambers, exhausted mentally and emotionally. He stood at the window for a few moments, watching the messangers departing the castle, and sank down onto his bed with a sigh. He once again took out the crystal. Staring into its depths, he whispered a word in the same foreign language used when he cast the spell. An image of Sarah, curled into a ball like a small child and sleeping, appeared in the blue glow of the crystal. He smiled faintly.   
"You will live again, my love. I swear it." 


	5. To Wait and Hope

Jareth had never realized before how quickly 13 hours could fly by.. and that was -without- magical interferance. He had fallen asleep in his chambers, and awoke 2 hours later and cursed himself for sleeping at such a critical time. If he did not receive a reply from any of his letters, he would have to think fast to find an alternative solution. He now sat in the throne room, idly staring at the clock and growling under his breath as each second passed. These next few hours would determine Sarah's -and his- future, and he could no nothing but wait. He was impatient for word to come of his messages, and each creature to enter the room bore the mark of his bad mood; he sent a record-breaking 7 goblins to the Bog within a matter of minutes. He fidgeted with a crystal, rolling it over his hands delicately, but his concentration was not on it, and more than once it fell and shattered and he had to replace it. His mind would not leave the subject of Sarah's future wellbeing alone. He couldn't sit still, and began pasing.   
Eventually, he ended up going to the kitchen and getting a mug of tea to calm him. It didn't help much, and the kind old cook finally convinced him to go and lay down. After all, she reasoned, there was no good in worrying and fussing when you can only wait. He consented after a bit, and instructed every creature he saw between the kitchen and his chambers to alert him at once if any word came from the neighboring kingdoms.  
  
Several more hours passed when Jareth was awakened by a timid goblin. He tiptoed up to the bed and nervously tapped the King on the shoulder.  
"Pardon, my lord, but.."   
Jareth sat up immediately. "Any word??"  
"Aye, sire. Three of the four have responded, but.."   
Jareth didn't hear the "but;" he leapt up and raced from his chambers to his study, where three of the servants he had sent stood, awkwardly looking at their feet and holding pieces of parchment. The King sat at his desk and looked impatiently at each of them. "Well?" They handed him the papers and hurriedly left Jareth to his reading. The hope that had been so evident in his features quickly fell to dispair. The first letter began,   
  
"We are deeply sorrowed by your plight, but unfortunately we are in no means to assist your troubles..."  
Jareth didn't bother reading any further. The other two letters had the same response. He sighed heavily and had to keep from banging his head on the desk. How much time did he have left? He glanced at a clock that simply hung in midair to one side, and grimaced. Five hours had passed; that meant he only had eight hours left. Just then, the fourth messanger burst through the door, panting for lack of breath, and handed a piece of parchment to the King. Jareth grabbed it and began reading, his expression returning to the hope he had before, then to one of triumph. He leapt from his seat and hugged the messanger, so great was his relief and his joy. The servant was rather perplexed to be hugged by his master. Jareth released him and cleared his throat, trying to contain his joy.   
"Ahem. Many thanks, my friend. Your reward for your work will be great. You may retire to your quarters, and please send one of your comrads to me. I have another message to send."   
The servant nodded vigorously and hastily left, his fatigue forgotten in his promise of a reward, and left the King alone. Or, what he thought was alone. Jareth held Sarah's crystal delicately and smiled into it. "My dear Sarah, now you are truly safe. A body has been found.. You shall once again be flesh and blood." 


	6. The Countdown

Jareth sent the messanger off in a hury, promising him the same punishment the others were warned with if he did not reach his destination in time. Once again, he was left with nothing to do but wait. He had retired to his bedchambers; in a castle full of goblins, it was one of the few places he could find peace. The last thing he needed was the pounding headache that came after too long a time in their company. Stress had already taken a toll on him, but now there was a promise that there was indeed a light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, eight hours still was a long time to wait for that light. He kept the crystal held tightly in his grasp, every few moments staring into its depths, comforted by the blue glimmer that meant Sarah was still safe within.   
  
He had not realised that he had fallen off to sleep again, but there he lay across the bed, the crystal still safe in his grasp, and the stress-caused headache he felt previously somewhat relieved. He sat up and glanced out the single window in the room, through which he could see the light burning past the horizon and the day nearing its close. He summoned a clock to check the time: 4 hours remained. He growled under his breath. "Where the hell is that damn messanger?" He stormed from his room and towards the servants' quarters to get some answers.  
  
"Where is he??"   
The shout roused those in the room to share at their King; several cringed at the anger in his voice. "Where is the one I sent? He should have returned by now!"  
"My lord, I am here. We did not wish to awaken you.." The messanger stepped out from the group timidly and approached his King.   
Jareth's anger disipated almost immediately. "Well?"   
"They are sending a carriage with the ...cargo as we speak, my lord."   
Without a word, Jareth turned and left.   
  
He reached his destination-the throne room-in excellant time. Just as he arrived and went to the window, he caught a glimpse of something in the distance past the labyrinth, and a horn sounded at the gates. The carriage had arrived. He did not realise that he had been holding his breath until that musical sound reached his ears; now surely, Sarah would be alright. He pointed to one of the smarter (if there was such a thing) goblins in the room and ordered it to guide the carriage to the castle gates. With a cat-like growl and a glare from the King, the goblin scurried off; Jareth sat in his throne and waited. But this time, it was easier: he knew it would be one of the last times he would need to. 


	7. The Spell

The driver of the carriage had been quite nervous about entering Jareth's castle with his cargo; he had heard plenty of stories of the King's quick temper and wrath. But there was plenty of gold in it for him if he completed this task, so he urged his horse up to the castle with the carriage lumbering behind. He was surprised to find the Goblin King waiting for him, looking into a mysterious blue crystal. When the King spotted him, he turned and strode over to the carriage in a few quick steps.   
"Is it intact?" was the blunt welcome.   
"Indeed 'it' is, sir. Uh, shall I.. bring her in for you?" There was fear in his voice that he tried and failed to hide. He had no idea why he was assigned to bring this "cargo" to the labyrinth, but he knew that asking too many questions was not wise when dealing with situations like this.  
The King held up one gloved hand and shook his head. "That is what servants are for." He nodded to a group of servants who had been standing nearby, who promptly approached the carriage and removed a rather large bulky.. something wrapped in a sheet, and with the utmost care, took it into the castle. The King turned back to the driver and tossed him a small bag, which made a 'clink' sound as it landed on the seat beside the driver, giving hint to its contents. "I know you will be paid when you return. Consider this a personal bonus." He waited not a moment more, turned and followed the servants into the castle. The goblin that had led the carriage through the labyrinth reached up and tugged on the horse's reins; the driver nodded and turned to go. With a shudder, he tried not to imagine what would be going on in that castle shortly.  
  
Jareth nearly ran to the room where the "cargo" had been placed by his servants, who themselves had disappeared, eager to be far from the King's unpredictable emotions. When he saw "it" lying on a table, he closed the distance and lifted the cloth that covered 'it'. Beneath was revealed the face of a young woman with long, flowing blonde hair and pale, cold skin. The cold skin and pale countinence told Jareth the girl had not been dead long, but was most definitely dead. He pulled the rest of the cloth away and tossed it to the floor.   
He took Sarah's crystal in his hand and smiled slightly into it. "It is time, my love..." Taking a deep breath, he positioned the dead girl's hands so they lay open, palms up, on her chest. He carefully set Sarah's crystal in the girl's hands. He removed the gloves from his own hands and set one hand on the crystal, one over the dead girl's heart. Quietly, so quiet he could barely hear it himself, he began chanting in the same ancient language he had used to capture Sarah's spirit. The chant slowly became louder, adding more ancient phrases as it did so. The crystal's blue glow swelled to a bright, nearly white, glare, so bright that had Jareth's eyes been open, it could have blinded them. The light encompassed the room, leaving no corner of shadows, and Jareth's chant was now nearly screaming in his own ears. The chant ended abruptly. The bright light from the crystal faded quickly, until no light came from it at all; the blue glow, too, had faded. Jareth, his energies spent, collapsed across the body. His hand still lay over the girl's heart, which slowly began to beat.. 


	8. And They Sleep

With a start, Jareth came to his senses and stumbled to his feet, shaking his head; he had spent his energies and his reserves on the effort of the spell, but he didn't think it would make him black out. He had no idea how long he'd been out, but that didn't really matter right now. He checked the girl's life signs; she was breathing and her heart beat steadily. He let a sigh of relief escape that he hadn't known he was holding. The spell worked; she would sleep for hours while the body – her body now, he added mentally – accepted the changes of the magic and allowed it to work its course. Jareth ran one hand through the long blonde hair, already seeing a few strands beginning to turn a dark chocolate color at the roots. He smiled through his exhaustion and stepped quietly back from the sleeping girl who shortly before had been dead. He settled himself in a large armchair and suppressed a yawn. His eyes were set on the sleeping figure, unmoving. It was only when he could no longer keep his own eyes open that he succumbed to his fatigue and feel asleep.   
  
As the king slept, his magic continued its work on the girl. Over a course of hours, the girl's flowing blonde hair turned a deep chocolate color, beginning at the roots and spreading out to the ends of every hair. The girl's face, already stained with the weight of troubles she should not have had to bear at her age, relaxed and smoothed out. The lips filled out, the skin lost its weighted look and became soft and silky. The eyes, beneath their closed lids, swirled into a rich brown color. Every feature of the girl changed, every mark and distinction disappeared, replaced by those of a girl, a girl loved by a King who tried to save her soul from herself... 


	9. Surprise, Beautiful!

When Jareth awoke, it was to the chime of 13 on a clock that hung ghost-like in thin air before him. How long had he slept?! He pulled himself to his feet and ran to the table where the girl still lay. He gasped and nearly fell over when he saw her. In every way, shape, and form possible, she was the spitting image of Sarah. No, she WAS Sarah! He had to force back tears when he realized this; he had no idea how long in Aboveground time it had been since Sarah left the labyrinth, but to him every second was an eternity. Now here she was, sleeping peacefully in front of him. He could see her with his own eyes, touch her with his own hands, smell the soft scent of her warm skin...  
  
He was forced to shake himself out of such thoughts. He wanted so badly to take her up in his arms and kiss her face, never let go of her, but it would not be that easy. He recalled painfully that 13th hour when she had said the words and left him to his own misery. She very well could still hate him. He knew that it would not be easy to win her trust, let alone her heart. He held a twinge of hope that she could awake to him, not as the villain he'd had to be for her first visit, but as a friendly face and (he prayed one day) a lover.   
  
He was torn from his thoughts when she stirred. He took several steps back, into the shadows. He wanted to watch her reaction to being back in the labyrinth before she saw him. She murmured a little under her breath, and he heard her gasp when she must have noticed her surroundings.   
  
"What the hell!?" She sat up quickly, any traces of sleepiness gone, her eyes large and wild with confusion.   
  
Well, Jareth thought, she already seemed more like the Sarah he knew than the one he'd seen in his crystals.. But was that to his advantage right now?  
  
"Ook..this is weird... how the hell.." Sarah was muttering to herself and looking around the room. "How am I here? How is this...? Is this another dream? Am I ...dead?" She stepped off of the table glanced slowly around the room once more.   
  
It's now or never, Jareth thought. He stepped out of the shadows, mere feet away from her.  
  
"Sarah..."  
  
She whirled to stare at him, "J...Jar..." And then it went black.  
  
Jareth rushed forward to catch her as she fainted. "Can't say that was the greeting I expected...but it will do for now." 


	10. Is It A Dream?

When Sarah finally awoke, she was unsure of where she was or how she got there. She wondered why her surroundings were strange, and then she remembered what had happened, what she'd seen. Was it a dream? A glorious dream that she had left behind her dreary life and come back? She was afraid to open her eyes, for fear of what she would – or wouldn't – see when she did. She laid there for a moment before she couldn't stand not knowing and opened her eyes. What she saw was definitely not her bedroom: She was in a huge extravagant bed with satin sheets.. Only a -little- different from her own, she thought sarcastically. She took in the large chamber, which was rather dark save for a few scattered candles. And beside the bed....  
  
She gasped and almost felt ready to faint again. Beside the bed, slouched over in a chair and fast asleep, was the Goblin King. He looked exhausted, and there were bags under his eyes, but to Sarah, he was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She reached out a hand to touch him; she wanted to be sure this wasn't just a dream. But she hesitated and yanked her arm back as if she'd been burned. What if it IS a dream?, She thought. This has to be too good to be true...  
  
As her thoughts swirled and spun, she sunk down into a heap on the bed. She was certain it was a dream, some cruel dream to torment her of the life she had denied herself when she denied him. He had loved her, she was so certain..she'd seen the look in his eyes, and the heartbreak when she said the Words. Now she was dreaming it, as she'd dreamed it many times before, the way she wanted it to be but knew she'd never be able to have. She buried her head in her arms and started to cry. Why did her dreams torment her? Maybe it was a side effect of the pills she took. No, she told herself, it was her own guilt. She had thrown away life and love in a world perfect for her, and now she was tormented even in her dreams by the loss of it.  
  
Jareth was awoken by the quiet sobs coming from the bed. He quickly threw off his fatigue and sat up, looking at the girl who sat curled up on his bed, crying into her arms. His heart broke a second time to see her tears; was she was upset to be here? Or was it something else? He clung to the hope that it wasn't a hatred of him and his kingdom that summoned her tears.   
  
He composed himself as best he could and said as softly as he could, "Ssh, don't cry.."  
  
Sarah threw her head up and stared at him. Her face was red and streaked with her tears. She didn't speak, but burst into more tears. Jareth came to sit on the bed beside her, wrapped his arms around her and cradled her gently. "Sarah...."  
  
She sat there numbly, feeling his touch, wondering if it was real. "Are you a dream?"  
  
"What? Sarah, I am as real as you.."  
  
She turned to look at him, stared at his face and held back another set of salty tears. "I've had so many dreams like this.. And in every one I woke up and was alone again.."  
  
Jareth felt his heart jump into his throat. Could it be she returned his sentiments? But it was too early to let his hopes make the better of him. He kissed her head softly and held her close. "Sarah, my Sarah...if you will have me, I'll never leave you alone again.. And that's a promise." 


	11. I Offer You Your Dreams Again

It took a while for Sarah to get a hold of her emotions, despite Jareth's comforting touch and words. When she finally did, she was exhausted from crying but she pushed it out of her mind and looked up at Jareth. He hadn't moved from his spot, by her side with his arms holding her tightly. He hadn't said much while she regained control of herself, but his presence was enough. He planted a small kiss on her forehead and gave her a gentle smile. "Feel better?"  
  
She nodded and hugged herself to him, resting her head on his chest. "I missed you so much... I hated myself for what I did when I left.." She felt tears brimming again and tried to fight them back. "I just..."  
  
Jareth kissed her and put a finger on her lips, "Sarah, don't burden yourself with worry about what you did. What matters to me is that you are here now..."  
  
"I was afraid that you would hate me for it... Not that it mattered, I never believed I could see you again."  
  
"Sarah, do you remember the words of the song I sang to you that day in the ballroom?"  
  
As the pain sweeps through  
  
Makes no sense for you  
  
Every thrill has gone  
  
Wasn't much fun at all  
  
But I'll be there for you  
  
As the world falls down...  
  
She nodded quietly. Jareth took her face in his hand and brought her to look him in the eye. "I love you more than life itself, Sarah... nothing, -nothing-, can change that. The truth is I was afraid you hated me... but I couldn't sit by and watch you massacre yourself like that."  
  
Sarah sighed when she remembered her life as it had been since she first left the labyrinth, and remembered the pills with a shudder. "Jareth, I love you... more than anything. My life was meaningless when I left..."  
  
"Sarah," Jareth whispered and held out a hand, materializing a crystal in it. "I once promised you your dreams if you would fear me, love me, and do as I say.. I still offer it; all I ask in return is your love."  
  
She smiled up at him and reached out without hesitation and took the crystal in her palm. "My love, my heart, and my life is no where away from you."   
  
Jareth felt his hear soar from his body and fly around the room. She truly, truly returned his love. He moved her to face him, and no sooner had he done so than she pulled him to her and kissed him passionately. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as they kissed. He offered her her dreams, and in return, his own dreams were fulfilled.   
  
Fin 


End file.
